


Retrieval Mission

by WolffyLuna



Category: Keychain of Creation (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Choose Your Own Adventure, Extended Scene, Gen, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:54:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolffyLuna/pseuds/WolffyLuna
Summary: You are the King of Uncloaked Steel, swordsman without peer, and in service to the Bodhisattva Anointed By Dark Water, also known as the Silver Prince. …which is fineYou are on a mission to retrieve your former student, dead or alive.
Relationships: Secret & The King of Uncloaked Steel, The King of Uncloaked Steel & Cluivnarihe
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raininshadows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raininshadows/gifts).



> I hope you like this! 
> 
> The tagged canon divergence is an option, but following canon is also possible.

You are the King of Uncloaked Steel, Dusk Caste Abyssal, swordsman without peer, and in service to the Bodhisattva Anointed By Dark Water, also known as the Silver Prince. …which is fine. You mean, he’s not who you’d pick if given the option to have a re-do, but whatever. He doesn’t really seem to need a swordsman without peer, and would really rather have a beancounter without peer, and you are so not that. But re-does aren’t a thing, and even if you got one, you probably wouldn’t pick _any_ of them. Lion and Winters, like, do things, but… enh. Who died and put _them_ in charge, you know?

But that doesn’t matter right now.

You are on a mission to retrieve your former student, The Most Secret And Sorrowful Of The Bearers Of The Endless Destiny Of All Creation… you’re just gonna call her Secret. You don’t have all day to get her, and that name will take all day. The Silver Prince wants her back quick sharp, and isn’t overly picky about whether she’s dead or alive, just that she’s back.

How do you feel?

  1. [Excited.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982710)
  2. [Bored](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982719)
  3. [Conflicted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982746)




	2. Chapter 2

This is shaping up to be your best fight in awhile. Not your best fight ever—but it’s been too long since you’ve actually had a challenge. Way, way too long. The Prince has been keeping you ‘in reserve’ (read: “you’re too much of a loose cannon to use right now in my intricate scheme that’ll need you in four hundred years time”) for so gods-damned long. It’s been hell.

But Secret? She’s not as good as she could be, but she’s not as bad as she thinks, you know? There’s an epic swordsmaster waiting to burst out of the shell of a pretty-decent swordswoman, but pretty decent can still be fun to fight. Especially with the challenge of taking her down without killing her.

(Is the Prince willing to start this whole rodeo again with a fresh face? Yeah, probably, considering your orders to kill her if you have to. Would the Prince like to get some return on investment, and not throw all the time training her in a trash heap? Almost certainly.

And you like Secret. Bit of a wet blanket at times, but she’s alright. There’s a good chance she’d be better company than any fresh face.)

It’ll be fun! And Cluivnarihe is looking forward to it, too.

 ** _You just have to hope I stay on your side,_** she says.

You chuckle. You wouldn’t want it any other way.

This will be a fun fight.

But you’re not just excited, you’re also—

  1. [Bored](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982719)
  2. [Conflicted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982746)
  3. [In a bit of a rush, and don’t have time for all these mushy feelings. There’s a fight afoot!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52983295)




	3. Chapter 3

You haven’t had a half decent fight in ages. You haven’t had a fight where you could really feel good about your skills, or feel like you’ve actually done something, since… No, you’re not going to do the maths. It is deeply depressing maths.

And maybe Secret could put up an interesting fight. Maybe. She’s not bad, but she’s not your calibre, either. And there’s a good chance that as soon as you draw Cluivnarihe, she’s just going to turn into a weepy puddle. And that’s just not fun to fight. Weepy begging puddles are a dime a dozen, if you know where to look. And they just sit there and there’s no challenge and no point

The Prince has been keeping you in reserve, and this is what he offers. There’s half a chance that he’s just getting you to do this to keep you out of trouble. Give you something to do. And this is something, but-- _Ugh._ Why do you even work for that guy? …right. Didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, did you?

But you aren’t just deeply, agonisingly, bone-crushingly _bored_ with everything, you’re also—

  1. [Excited](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982710)
  2. [Conflicted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982746)
  3. [Too bored to keep thinking about all this feeling nonsense. Time to find Secret and have something more interesting happen.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52983295)




	4. Chapter 4

…look, Secret’s a good kid. Or as good as any of ‘em, yourself included, are. Has a moral compass, and one that doesn’t point to ‘destroy literally everything.’ Best you can ask for round here, really.

(Yes, yes, bringing Oblivion is kinda your job description, you know that. And it’d be a fun enough challenge, but once you’re done—well, the endless relief of complete nonexistence isn’t exactly filled with great deeds to do and mighty foes to fight)

And you might be killing her. And then having to deal with a different (also probably weepy) brat. And you do kinda like her. Could stand to grow a bit more of a spine, but she’s company.

Or maybe you’re just retrieving her! Sending her back to Skullstone. Which would probably not end in her death. Probably. You and her would just go back to working for the Prince, and she’d learn her lesson about not wandering off. Worse things happen at sea. (And you’d know, you live in an oceanic shadowland. Shit gets nasty out there.) You’d help out the Prince, show up at festivals, yada-yada.

And there’s worse things than working for the Prince. …okay, it’s incredibly boring. And he’s not, like, the greatest person? But arguably, he’s self made, he got all his power himself.

…mostly got his power himself. …got a not-insignificant portion of his power himself, even if got some from other things.

Look, he’s not unworthy.

Probably.

You don’t really have a reason to turn against him.

And anyway, you’re also—

  1. [Excited](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982710)
  2. [Bored](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982719)
  3. [Needing to go get Secret sooner or later, you guess.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52983295)




	5. Chapter 5

Out on the horizon, you spot a black shape walking over a ridge. Secret’s not bad at stealth, but she’s wearing black clothes while walking across a snow field—she doesn’t have a chance against your eyes. (Favouring Awareness: So useful.)

You catch up quickly. Maybe she hasn’t spotted you, maybe she doesn’t care. Either way, you’re right behind her in barely any time at all.

She turns around, eyes wide with fear—

\--and she’s unarmed.

Drat.

What do you do?

  1. [Fight her.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52983310)
  2. [Join her.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52983355)




	6. Chapter 6

You’ve been looking forward to having a half decent fight for ages, and you’re not going a little detail like Secret forgetting to bring any weapons stop you. It’s no problem; you brought spares.

You take one of the arming swords off your belt, and throw it at her, scabbard and all.

Cluivnarihe laughs at you. **_You sentimental fool._**

She catches it one handed, and takes a second to realise what she just caught.

You’re not waiting for her. It’s a fair fight now, and you’re taking it! You swing Cluivnarihe overhead.

She draws the sword in time, and blocks.

You try and force the sword down, push past her block.

Her arm wavers. She strains, army muscles twitching. But her block doesn’t break.

You lift Cluivnarihe, and go for another swing.

Secret dodges.

“Good choice!” you shout, as you try again.

She does well. Dodges what she can, blocks what she can’t. She’s fast and nimble and has learned how to read you. You taught her well.

But you’re still the better swordsman.

She’s on the back foot, and she’s running out of Essence. Any you know you have a lot more essense than her. It’s only a matter of time till you can catch her.

You swing.

Cluivnarihe moves on her. She redirects the swing away from Secret, and down to your feet.

She trips you.

You fall face first, and get a mouthful of snow. It’s dirty, gritty, and tastes of death. You spit it out, and look up.

Secret dives for Cluivnarihe.

 ** _What did you expect?_** she says.

Secret grabs her, and runs away, kicking more snow into your face.

You spit again.

You could lever yourself up, try and catch them, but— _eenh_. Even if Secret got help from Cluivnarihe, she still won. Fair’s fair. Can’t blame her for taking whatever edge she can get.

You let her run off.

It isn’t going to be fun explaining this to the Prince, but what’s he going to do? Put you in reserve again? He deserves her running off, anyway.

After laying there for half an hour, you pick yourself up, brush the half-melted snow off your tunic, and turn back towards Skullstone.

[
  1. Go back to the beginning.
](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982683) 



	7. Chapter 7

She doesn’t want to go back to the Prince. You, when you think about it, don’t really want to back to the Prince either.

You could just leave. Go do something worthwhile. Go do anything other than wait for some millenia-old ghost to decide to use you. You could go and fight and have some gods-damned _fun_. There’s a whole great big world up there, filled with nobles and merchants and people with far too much power and far too many bodyguards. It’d be great. You just need to get out there.

And if you leave with someone by your side, you’ve got a better chance of making it out. Sure, it’s not as much of a challenge, but you’re willing to save the challenge till later. Secret is good company. Worth having around, even if it makes things too easy for a bit. And anyway, as a team of three, you could probably try and take on something really _meaty_.

“Hey, heard you’re ditching the boss,” you say.

She turns around, looking tense, and somewhere between ‘worried’ and ‘confused.’ (You’re not quite sure why.) “I… am.”

“Awesome. Can I come too?”

The worry leaves, replaced with plain old confusion. Is that question a surprise to her? It probably shouldn’t be. Whatever. “…Yes?”

“Nice.”

[1\. Go back to the beginning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192126/chapters/52982683)


End file.
